Summertime Excitement
by Discretion Assured
Summary: With their first summer as a couple upon them, Luna and Sam try and make it worthwhile. Suna one-shot.


Summer. That time of the year the schools were closed, unleashing daytime hordes upon the nation's cities. Royal Woods, Michigan, was no different. Grades K-12 were out, unleashing as many different aged masses out into the streets: pre-teens spending time with their friends, teens spending time with their friends in a slightly cooler fashion, and young adults looking to have the best, and last, summer of their youth before they went to college.

Luna Loud and Sam Sharp fell into that second category. For these two teens, this summer meant more than just being in love with each other and hanging out with friends. They were both 16, which meant they could drive. That meant freedom for both and wider opportunities for their shared interest in concerts and rocking in places other than Royal Woods. So long as they could get a ride, that was. And next year they'd be Juniors in Highschool, the year you're allowed to really start being cool. They wanted to get an early start so they could kick off the next school year with a bang, get some good friends and even a small following before they graduated and two years and went to become Rockstars. They went into that first day of summer with a lot of dreams, a lot of ambition, and a strong desire to be with the other.

The problem was, they needed money for all of that (well, everything except the last one). And both teens were flat broke with only pitiful allowances that wouldn't help.

But it was no biggy. They were 16 now, which meant they could get jobs. And Luna thought she had the hook up.

"C'mon, pops. Help us out!" Luna pleaded her father one Monday afternoon while Sam stood behind her. Lynn Sr., the owner and head chef of the Lynn's Table restaurant, rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I don't know girls." Luna's father sounded apologetic. "We're busier over the summer, but I don't need that much help. And I already hired Lori." Luna's oldest sister was going to college at the end of summer, and decided a summer job to save up some money was a good idea. She'd gotten to their father faster than Luna had.

"Are you sure?" Luna asked, making stuff up as she went. "Lot of dudes and dudettes are going to go to the beach this summer and pass through town..." She tried to sound ominous.

"Oh, and there's five musical festivals scheduled for this summer too!" Sam added, picking up on what her girlfriend was doing.

"Yeah! And just think of all the kids and couples that are going to be out this summer. You sure you got enough help, pops?" Luna asked.

She could see her father's mind working, finger scratching the side of his face in thought. He stressed a lot about his restaurant and delivering full satisfaction to his customers. His family had even seen him stressing over inventories and other details at home. This WAS the first summer the establishment had been open, so he didn't actually know how busy it could get. And she could see that realization dawn on his face, eyes widening slightly as scenarios mundane to everyone but nightmares to him flashed through his mind. Luna felt a little bad about playing on her dad's fears, but hey. If they were right, then all the better for Pops, right?

"Alright!" He said in determination. Luna and Sam each did a fist pump and were about to high five before the Loud patriarch stopped them with a raised finger and a very stern "But-" Both teens turned back to see him looking completely serious. "Only if you're serious. No working for one week and then running off with your paychecks." He waggled a finger. "You'll have to work the whole summer."

"Uh...we get weekends off, right?" Luna asked, unsure. Her father nodded. "Then we're cool with that!" Luna swore.

"Be here at 7 tomorrow morning." He told them.

"Yes!" Luna and Sam did do the high five then.

"And girls-" Lynn Sr. said with warning. "I get that you're in love and it's summer, but this is a business. You can't be getting romantic during work hours. Lori doesn't text Bobby during work. I expect the same effort from you."

"Pfft. Easy." Luna waved the concern away. "We got that, right babe?"

"Definitely." Sam agreed. They both smiled and gave a thumbs up. But the smiles looked a little bit forced and they glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes. They definitely weren't like Lori and Bobby, with the constant texting, pet names, and all that mushy crap. But they were affectionate when they were together. You try not to be, when you got a girlfriend that cute.

"We're on our way, dude!" Luna said excitedly, pulling Sam against her side as they exited the restaurant. Both were grinning like idiots, and they spent the rest of the day rehashing their intentions for the rest of summer when they started getting paid.

The next day though, reality ensued.

Lori was going to be the one training them. And while she started out her talk cheerful and smiling, it started to ebb towards that creepy and threatening tone Luna was oh so familiar with as she started lecturing them on the rules and proper sanitation practices all employees had to follow. This wasn't just Luna and Sam's ladder to summer success, this was Lori's ladder to college and employment success AND how Lynn Sr. put food on the Loud family dinner table. She was just making it very clear to the two through body language that they were not going to mess any of those up.

Lynn Sr. did the cooking alongside Grant, one of the people he'd hired when the place first opened. Kotaro, the other initial hire, worked the register. Lori was a waitress. Luna and Sam thought they were heading down that path, but instead they got relegated to the kitchen and doing other miscellaneous tasks: washing dishes, stacking plates, taking our the trash, wiping down counters, refilling napkin holders, and sweeping and mopping. You had to start from the bottom of the ladder.

None of it was hard; neither girl was anything close to lazy. But it was pretty boring. And it got agonizing fast. Yeah, Luna's Pops had said not to get romantic, but the other was right there, just a few feet away. What harm could a little show of affection really do?

To their employment and by extension their ambitions? A lot, actually. Lori had unexpectedly come into the kitchen as Luna was nuzzling her girlfriend's neck while they stood of the sink washing dishes. "_Luna_!" The shout made them jump. "You guys can't be doing that." She hissed in their ears. "I told you there's a three strike limit here, and you already got one of your first days here."

"What, that?!" Luna yelped. Lori sighed and rubbed her temple.

"I'll forget it _this time_." She shook her head. "But guys, _hands to yourselves_." Needless to say, Lori had scared them straight for the rest of Monday. It helped that Lori did what she could to keep them separated.

Tuesday was a new day, and the first day Luna and Sam found themselves out on the floor alongside Lori. Their duties were simpler but much more active: taking peoples orders, delivering them their orders, and cleaning the table after they were gone and left. It was an immediate improvement for one reason-tips!

On the downside-people. Luna had already learned from that brief spell of doubt when she tried new things that services was probably not a strength for her. Sam learned quickly she didn't like services either. Something they could both agree and bond over.

It didn't help that Luna and Sam were very pretty (as they constantly told each other) and the restaurant was filled with teens local and from out of town. In short, they got flirted with a lot. Something they could find common ground in with Lori. Luna and Sam had a lot of fun telling off all the boys that they had a girlfriend already. The look of surprise on their faces was worth them skimming on the tips.

But it was still stressful and hard to focus. They were still giddy with excitement now that they'd gotten the job down pat and getting tips left and right. And have you ever been in love? It's maddening to be so close yet so far. All three of these factors combined to get them their first write up. They didn't thing a minute long snog during a break would get them into trouble. But a customer noticed, they complained, and it did. Who tattled on people in the loo, honestly?

Lori didn't listen to a word they said. She just wrote them up silently. And once she turned those in to Lynn Sr., she reminded them that this was a business and that they wouldn't get special treatment. It killed their giddiness and made the rest of the work day dull.

They made the same mistake on Wednesday too. Lori had them cornered in the kitchen again.

"Were you guys messing around again?" Lori asked through gritted teeth, wringing a dirty towel in her hands threateningly.

"No." Luna lied. Lori grabbed her and spun her around, and Luna deduced from Sam's reluctant 'Oh', there was something incriminating somewhere on her body. She twisted around and craned her neck to try and see. There was powdery white flour on her backside, and what looked like a faint hand print on the left cheek. "Oh." She deadpanned. "We washed our hands." Lori wound of the towel tightly before smacking it against her sister's buttocks. The sharp contact made Luna yelp and jump, but it also knocked all the evidence off her uniform.

"Wash them again. Both of you." Lori commanded. "That's two!" She warned sternly before stalking off.

"Aw shite." Luna mumbled while she rubbed her sore appendage. "Sorry dude." She apologized to her girlfriend. "That was fault."

"No, it's my fault too." Sam rubbed her arm. They both stared wistfully at the other. Summer romance? Not like this. They had work day schedules now, and curfews in the evening still. The job itself wasn't that hard, but being around other was. But if they pulled this off, there were still weekends to hang out.

"We can do this." They both said at the same time. "You first." They pointed at the other. Silence. "I just thought..." They mimicked each other for a third time, then burst out laughing. Being that in tune with a person but not being able to express your feelings when you're that close was definitely some form of torture.

"We got this?" Luna stuck out her fist.

"We got this." Sam bumped it with her own.

The girls were on their best behavior for the rest of the day. Thursday went by without a single problem, how ever much Lori's hawk eyes searched for one. Friday likewise went perfectly. And at the end of that warm sunny day, when the restaurant had been closed and cleaned, Lynn Sr. did all the book keeping that was required at the end of a business week. All but two of his employees had gone home-Grant, Kotaro, and Lori all signed up for direct deposit. But Luna and Sam didn't even have bank accounts, so they were still there, leaning there on the counter still in uniform.

Lynn Sr. was taking a small amount of amusement in keeping the girls on edge as he flipped through bills and receipts. It was hard not to grin. Finally, when the girls were absolutely quivering in anticipation, he tore both their paychecks out his checkbook. "Well girls, I had my doubts, and you did slip up...but you proved me wrong in the end. So here, honest pay for honest work." He held the checks out and they were pulled from his hand in mere seconds.

"Sweet!"

"Rockin'!" Both girls stared at their paychecks. After taxes and adding tips, that week had gotten them each a solid $350, a great start to their goals.

"Go have fun, girls!" Lynn Sr. "It's Friday. Enjoy it while you don't have to pay bills!" And you know what? He was right. They didn't have to pinch every penny. They'd been safe all week, it was time to let lose. In a PG fashion, as course. Two teenage girls still in their work uniform giggling to each other did turn heads in the check cashing place, but they didn't care. The night was theirs.

They didn't do anything over the top. They just went out and got something to eat. Only 15 bucks between them when they split the bill. But they spent the whole date leaning over the table talking excitedly, rehashing their plans down to the letter. It was mundane, but it was special in their eyes. They thought this would be the last time they did something like this because everything they did together afterwards would be a lot more exciting.

It was the kind of sillyness carefree young love caused, but damn if they weren't happy.

Their second and third weeks were incident free. Boring and almost agonizing, but incident free. The memories of that Friday was a powerful motivator for the two to keep their hands to themselves and work hard for the eventual reward they knew was coming.

But lunch breaks were free game!

And when they got their paychecks at the end of that third week, it was time to acquire another one of their summer goals and the one prerequisite to their other dreams-transportation. So they pooled together a grand from both their paychecks and bought a van. Not like Vanzilla though. They got an old 4th Generation Ford E series van. But getting it delivered was only the first step. They had further plans, and they sunk the rest of their savings into making them reality. Luna convinced Chunk to give them a hand, and paid off Lana with what pocket change she had.

The end goal was to renovate that van inside and out. Lana took the outside, getting the engine and body into shape. And Chunk helped them trick out the interior. They were going to add a bed in the back. What was one of the most expensive and hardest parts about going to concerts away from home? The lodgings. Hotels were either fully booked or expensive as all hell. So, put down only 100 bucks now, and they never had to pay for a hotel room again. Yeah, they had to share a bed, but that was the exact opposite of a problem for the two.

And hey, it'd be a neat place to hang out. Privacy at either's house was hard because each had siblings. They both had some old speakers laying around each of their houses to rig up on the interior. And Lana found an old mini-fridge in the Loud family garage that we swore she could wire up if they just gave her a day. So they did, and she did. They had to be mindful of the battery, but they could just chill out in the back with the music playing and drinks near by, a really chill environment.

And maybe both secretly thought it'd be a sweet kissing nest, but they certainly weren't going to mention it to each other or the people helping them.

They spent their entire weekend working on it, and their time after work for the first two days of the week, to finally finish it. And when everything was said and done, when the cuts had been bandaged and all the paint scrubbed off in showers, Luna and Sam had both transportation and a place to hang and bunk. The engine was tuned with the Lana Loud guarantee of 5 Years No Maintenance Required. They'd flipped a coin to decide the paint scheme. Luna had won, so obviously it was purple. But she couldn't resist her girlfriend's pouting face, so it had a blond yellow stripe down the side too.

From the front seat, it was easy to step into the back. Lana had put in some insulation so be it cold winters or hot summers, it wouldn't be too uncomfortable. Movable blankets acted as privacy screens so that the back couldn't be seen from the cab or the back windows if anyone peeped in. They'd put the bed in the center, so there was just enough space on either side to move. Four speakers hung on the roof at all four corners of the cargo area, wired to the front to play any cassette, CD, or MP3 music file they played up there. The mini-fridge was installed right next to the back door, perfect place to be able to reach in the back and grab a drink if you had the back doors open. They'd turned down Lana's offers of more extensive modifications, like a toilet or a mounted tv. She probably could do those, but the van was fine as was.

They spent that triumphant Tuesday night in their new pad. Stretched out in the back, back doors wide open to let in some cool evening air. "Young Turks" by Rod Stewart was playing in on the music player and reverberating in the back. And man, did that song fit. They were really feeling free right now.

"Dude, this is awesome." Luna whispered, nuzzling her girlfriend's neck. Sam giggled at the contact. Best part of this? Neither of them had to outright mention the idea about a kissing nest; they fell into it automatically.

"So awesome." Sam agreed. Luna squealed as Sam rolled over on top of her, and they tussled for a moment on top of the covers. There was a light tap on the window and the two teens quickly separated. Rita poked her head past the doors after a moment to give her daughter and her girlfriend time to make themselves decent if it was needed. "There's food inside if you're hungry."

"Cool. Thanks, mom!" Luna answered. The Loud matriarch disappeared. "Man." Luna laid back down. "I can't wait till Friday." They had a place to hang out, but it was confined to the Loud driveway until they had gas money. "Oof." She forced herself back up, hard after getting comfy after having been working all day. The two clambered out, and took a moment to again appreciate what they'd accomplished together.

"Woo!" Luna stuck her hands in the air. Sam jumped a little.

"Not cool!" She laughed and headed for the house.

"Sorry Sammy. Just had to do it one more time. The neighbors are used to it."

"Just for that, I want to drive it first!" Sam teased.

"It's in my name, dude!" Luna followed her. "Hey, maybe my mom will let us eat in the van?"

This summer was going to be awesome.


End file.
